America is a beacon for human rights to the rest of the world. Our commitment to preserving the right to freedom of speech and the right to protest is what makes us exceptional and remarkable.

Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, does not share this commitment to defending civil liberties.

In fact, since the failed military coup against him last year, the dictator has doubled down on Turks protesting his rule. Protesting Erdogan is all but forbidden in the country, but many continue to resist the leader for his efforts to suppress his people, bomb the Kurds, and help ISIS.

So when Erdogan made a visit to the United States to meet with President Trump, Turks in America were less than pleased and went to the Turkish embassy in D.C. to protest the visit.

“All of the sudden they just ran towards us,” a Yazidi Kurdish protestor named Lucy Usoyan told ABC News. “Someone was beating me in the head nonstop, and I thought, ‘Okay, I’m on the ground already, what is the purpose to beat me?’”

Watch as armed Turkish security forces beat down demonstrators on American soil:

A demonstration outside the Turkish Embassy in northwest Washington led to nine people being injured, and two arrested pic.twitter.com/6SQTlQAUaa

The State Department has confirmed that the men caught on camera beating the protesters were members of Erdogan’s personal security detail, who have beaten American protesters and journalists in the past.

The sight of the Kurdish flags is likely what triggered the security team.

Erdogan has been bombing members to the Kurdish YPG forces who are fighting ISIS, and has jailed journalists, students, professors, and even members of his own government that disagree with his actions.

This incident of course carries huge diplomatic ramifications that are already being felt.

The State Department as well as the D.C. Police Department have vowed to investigate this incident and bring those involved to justice.

Unfortunately, due to diplomatic immunity, it’s uncertain if these guards will be punished. After beating the protesters, the security team retreated back to the embassy, where U.S. authorities could not arrest them.

But there’s no doubt that the Turks need to be taught a lesson about the United States. In America, everyone has the right to peacefully protest, even those who disagree with you.